Fabricated vehicle axle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9724965-B2
Application number	US-201213526661-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 19, 2012
Priority date	Apr 20, 2012
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

A vehicle axle body is provided for incorporation into a vehicle axle. The vehicle axle body may be comprised of first and second axle body pieces. The first axle body piece may define at least a portion of a lower surface of the vehicle axle body and at least a portion of one of a front surface and a rear surface of the vehicle axle body. The second axle body piece is secured to the first axle body piece and may define at least a portion of an upper surface of the vehicle axle body and at least a portion of the other one of the front surface and the rear surface of the vehicle axle body. The thickness of the first and second axle body pieces may be different. Suspension component supports may be integrally formed with the upper and/or bottom surfaces of the axle body.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle axle body comprising:
a first axle body piece defining at least a portion of a lower surface of the vehicle axle body and at least a portion of a rear surface of the vehicle axle body; and
a second axle body piece secured to the first axle body piece and defining at least a portion of an upper surface of the vehicle axle body and at least a portion of a front surface of the vehicle axle body, wherein the first axle body piece further comprises a lower suspension component support integrally formed therewith and extending beyond the front surface and/or the second axle body piece further comprises an upper suspension component support integrally formed therewith and extending beyond the rear surface.

2. The vehicle axle body of claim 1 , wherein the first axle body piece defines substantially all of the lower surface of the vehicle axle body and substantially all of the rear surface of the vehicle axle body.

3. The vehicle axle body of claim 1 , wherein the second axle body piece defines substantially all of the upper surface of the vehicle axle body and substantially all of the front surface of the vehicle axle body.

4. The vehicle axle body of claim 1 , wherein the first axle body piece has a generally uniform thickness and the second axle body piece has a generally uniform thickness different from the thickness of the first axle body piece.

5. The vehicle axle body of claim 1 , further comprising an axle seat secured to at least one of the axle body pieces by a weld having a weld stop location located at an area of the vehicle axle body spaced away from the upper, lower, front, and rear surfaces of the vehicle axle body.

6. The vehicle axle body of claim 5 , wherein
the upper surface comprises the upper suspension component support,
the lower surface comprises the lower suspension component support, and
the weld stop location is located at the upper or lower suspension component support.

7. The vehicle axle body of claim 6 , wherein
the weld has a plurality of weld stop locations,
at least one of the weld stop locations is located at the upper suspension component support, and
at least one of the weld stop locations is located at the lower suspension component support.

8. The vehicle axle body of claim 1 , wherein the lower suspension component support or the upper suspension component support receives an axle seat.

9. The vehicle axle body of claim 1 wherein the lower suspension component defines a surface that is coplanar with the lower surface of the vehicle axle body and/or the upper suspension component support defines a surface that is coplanar with the upper surface of the vehicle axle body.

10. The vehicle axle body of claim 1 wherein the first axle body piece defines no part of the upper surface of the vehicle axle body.

11. The vehicle axle body of claim 1 wherein the second axle body piece defines no part of the lower surface of the vehicle axle body.

12. The vehicle axle body of claim 1 , the first axle body piece having the lower suspension component support integrally formed in one piece construction with the first axle body piece and extending beyond the front surface of the vehicle axle body, or the second axle body piece having the upper suspension component support integrally formed in one piece construction with the second axle body piece and extending beyond the rear surface of the vehicle axle body.

13. The vehicle axle body of claim 1 , the first axle body piece having the lower suspension component support integrally formed in one piece construction with the first axle body piece and extending beyond the front surface of the vehicle axle body, and the second axle body piece having the upper suspension component support integrally formed in one piece construction with the second axle body piece and extending beyond the rear surface of the vehicle axle body.

14. A method of manufacturing a vehicle axle body comprising:
providing a first axle body piece and a second axle body piece;
forming the first and second axle body pieces into bent configurations;
securing the first axle body piece to the second axle body piece, with
the first axle body piece defining at least a portion of a lower surface of the vehicle axle body and at least a portion of a rear surface of the vehicle axle body,
the second axle body piece defining at least a portion of an upper surface of the vehicle axle body and at least a portion of a front surface of the vehicle axle body, and
the first axle body piece further comprising a lower suspension component support integrally formed therewith and extending beyond the front surface and/or the second axle body piece further comprises an upper suspension component support integrally formed therewith and extending beyond the rear surface.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein said securing the first axle body piece to the second axle body piece includes securing the first axle body piece to the second axle body piece such that the first axle body piece defines substantially all of the lower surface of the vehicle axle body and substantially all of the rear surface of the vehicle axle body.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein said securing the first axle body piece to the second axle body piece includes securing the first axle body piece to the second axle body piece such that the second axle body piece defines substantially all of the upper surface of the vehicle axle body and substantially all of the front surface of the vehicle axle body.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein said providing a first axle body piece and a second axle body piece includes providing a first axle body piece having a generally uniform thickness and a second axle body piece having a generally uniform thickness different from the thickness of the first axle body piece.

18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising
providing an axle seat, and
welding the axle seat to at least one of the axle body pieces by a weld having a weld stop location located at an area of the vehicle axle body spaced away from the upper, lower, front, and rear surfaces of the vehicle axle body.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein
said providing the first axle body piece and the second axle body piece includes providing the upper surface with the upper suspension component support and the lower surface with the lower suspension component support, and
said welding the axle seat to at least one of the axle body pieces includes locating the weld stop location at the upper or lower suspension component support.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein said welding the axle seat to at least one of the axle body pieces includes welding the axle seat to at least one of the axle body pieces by a weld having a plurality of weld stop locations, with at least one of the weld stop locations located at the upper suspension component support, and at least one of the weld stop locations located at the lower suspension component support.

21. A vehicle axle body comprising:
an upper surface;
a lower surface;
a front surface extending between the upper and lower surfaces;
a rear surface extending between the upper and lower surfaces; and
an axle seat secured to at least one of the upper, lower, front, and rear surfaces by a weld having a weld stop location located at an area of the vehicle axle body spaced away from the upper, lower, front, and rear surfaces of the vehicle axle body.

22. The vehicle axle body of claim 21 , wherein the rear surfac

Assignees

• Gottschalk Michael J
• Hendrickson Usa Llc

Inventors

• Gottschalk Michael J

Classifications

• Y10T29/49622

  Vehicular structural member making · CPC title

• B60B2900/113

  Production or maintenance time · CPC title

• B60B2900/111

  Weight · CPC title

• B60B2310/302

  by welding · CPC title

• B60B2310/211

  by folding or bending · CPC title